"Spring has returned. The Earth is like a child that knows poems." ~Rainer Maria Rilke

"I like
too many things
and get all confused
and hung-up
running
from one falling star
to another
till i 
drop.
This is the night,
what it does to you.
I had nothing to offer 
anybody
except my own
confusion."

~Jack Kerouac

Dusk at Linnell Landing.
Brewster, Cape Cod.
Joanna Vaughan Photography

"A photograph is usually looked at - seldom looked into." ~Ansel Adams

"There
is not
a sprig of grass
that shoots
uninteresting
to me. "

~Thomas Jefferson

Snow fence light and clouds.
Linnell Landing, Brewster.
Cape Cod.

"The best thing one can do when it's raining is to let it rain." ~Henry Wadsworth Longfellow

I'm writing this post on another cloudy, cold and dreary Cape Cod afternoon. I wouldn't normally complain about the weather. Being a native Cape Codder, I know all too well that you have to absolutely love the bleak and bitter coldness of a New England winter in order to survive living here (and I do), but this month in particular has been especially dull and gray and I must admit that it's really starting to get to me.

It's always around the beginning of March when I long for the warmth and newness of the spring and I'm pretty sure everybody around here feels the same way. There's nothing better after a long, freezing cold Cape Cod winter than the promise of warm springtime weather. But for right now, I'm just longing for it to clear up long enough so I can get back out to take a picture...or two.

"Clouds come floating into my life, 
no longer to carry rain 
or usher storm, 
but to add color 
to my 
sunset sky."
 
~Rabindranath Tagore

Linell Landing Sunset.

Brewster, Cape Cod

"And remember, no matter where you go, there you are." ~Confucius

"The goal of life
is to
make your heartbeat
match the beat of the 
universe,
to match your nature
with Nature."

~Joseph Campbell

image taken at Boat Meadow Beach,
Eastham, Cape Cod.

"Seeing within changes one's outer vision."~Joesph Chilton Pearce

I don't separate photography from any other form of art. In the same way that the painter doesn't know what his finished masterpiece will look like before he starts painting it, a photographer can't tell you specifically what he's going out into the world to see. It's hard to describe to people when they ask me what I look for when I go out to take pictures. I honestly have no idea until I'm in front of something amazing. It stands out to me. Suddenly it's not just a sunset. It's a subtle contrast in color on the horizon, or an interesting reflection of light patterns on the surface of the water. When you're seeing the world in a way that's different to how you've been used to seeing it, suddenly the landscape becomes your canvas and your camera like the paint brush and the possibilities as to what you can create are endless.

Photography isn't rocket science. There's this idea going around that, in order to be a good photographer, or to even call yourself one, you need to own the latest million dollar camera, have a fancy tripod or a bunch of expensive lenses.  You don't.  Some of my best photographs were taken with cheap equipment and it's almost impossible to tell the difference. Just approach it like you would any new skill by studying it, surfing the web, and most importantly, trying out new things. Play around with new angles and light. I guarantee that the way you see the world will change, and suddenly. . . everything you see will have the potential to be a brilliant photograph.

Image taken at Rock Harbor, Orleans

Cape Cod

"If you go as far as you can see, you will then see enough to go even farther."~John Wooden

I've always been inspired by the timeless and subtle beauty of black and white photography. I was a teenager when I was first introduced to Ansel Adams work and I've been in love with it ever since.

"The obscure we see eventually. The completely obvious, it seems, takes longer." ~Edward R. Murrow

What is it that makes a piece of art beautiful and something that everyone loves to look at? What exactly is it that makes one painting, sculpture or photograph a real standout? I know that each of our own perceptions of art are incredibly intimate and personal, but I also truly believe that there's a common thread that we all share when it comes to defining what we see and perceive as beautiful.

A fantastic website for photographers of all levels and abilities is Flickr. It's a great tool for studying real time photographers as well as to get some genuine feedback on the photos you post yourself. What I've learned the most from that site, aside from learning how to give and take constructive criticism like a pro, is a bit more about that common thread I was talking about. The photographs that are the most popular or get the most awards and recognition are also the most simplistic in their beauty; wonderfully captured and perfectly composed.

For me, it's a certain angle of light and the amazing attention to detail that it highlights so perfectly... but I don't want to start sounding too cliche when I talk about photography, or even art for that matter. It doesn't matter if you're a professional or an amateur photographer or even a famous artist represented in a gallery, the ability to create something beautiful is in every single one of us. It simply takes the desire to see it, and the drive to create it.